Saturday, July 23, 2016

Ellis Family Road Trip 2016: The Finale

and the story continues...

Thursday June 30, 2016:

After a very restless night we had breakfast and headed toward Osceola Arkansas. I wanted to find a place beside the Mississippi River to gather some rocks and sand. During this trip we had been picking up rocks from every state and I wanted sand from the river to put in my vacation sand jar. We found a spot way off the beaten path, got our rocks and sand, then after talking with a local we headed to Sans Souci Landing. What a wonderful place for taking pictures. It was a nice little stop to make and we really enjoyed it. After a little time resting by the river, we decided to head north just a little so I could cross Missouri off my list of states visited.

My feet in the Mississippi

We then headed back into Tennessee and stopped at the Tennessee Safari Park in Alamo TN. The Safari Park was so much fun and I even got kissed by a giraffe.

We named this camel Snoop Dogg

After our Safari adventure we decided to stop for an early supper at the Log Cabin Restaurant. The food was better than Cracker Barrell!

We decided to stop early for the night in Brentwood Tennessee, just outside of Nashville so the kids could have some pool time. I have to say the Baymont Inn was so nice and we slept much better that night.

Friday July 1, 2016

After a fantastic breakfast we continued our travels east and stopped at The Hermitage, the plantation home of Andrew Jackson. He was never my favorite president, but I learned a lot of new things I never knew about him and gained a new respect for the person that he was.

After a few hours there we headed toward home again and decided to surprise our 10 year old by stopping in Pigeon Forge Tennessee to have supper at Paula Deen's Family Kitchen. The food was served family style and a dessert was included. Even though it was more expensive than we normally pay for a meal, it was worth the extra to see the excitement on our daughters face.

We could have driven the entire 5 hours home, but that would have put our arrival at about 1 in the morning, so we decided to stop for the night in Morristown TN, at the Holiday Inn Express. We just agreed that would give us some rest and that we could take our time the next day.

Saturday July 2, 2016:

After another amazing HIE breakfast, we hit the road for the final day of our trip. We went through Virginia and finally saw that wonderful and beautiful Welcome to North Carolina sign. We decided to stop about 30 minutes from home and eat at one of our favorite places, Amigos. It is a small Mexican restaurant in King. The food and service is always excellent and the staff always friendly.

When we arrived home, we were greeted by a very excited Dixie Belle. I have to say I was so happy to see her too.
The following videos shows both of our excitement!

Over all the trip was awesome, extraordinary and tiring. It was hard for someone like me who always has a plan to step away and just "wing it" but I did. We had an adventure like never before and our girls say they can't wait to do it again.